Almond Road Surgery - Dr's Wrigley and Chomicka

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We conducted a comprehensive announced inspection on 29 June 2015.

Specifically, we found the practice to be good for providing effective, caring, responsive and well-led services. Improvements were needed to ensure that safer recruitment processes were in place and that staff were suitable to carry out the work they were employed for. It was also good for providing services for the older people, people with long-term conditions, families, children and young people, working age people (including those recently retired and students), people living in vulnerable circumstances, and people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

Our key findings were as follows:

• Staff understood and fulfilled their responsibilities to raise concerns, and to report incidents and near misses. Information about safety was recorded, monitored, appropriately reviewed, addressed and shared with staff during meetings.
• Risks to patients and staff were assessed and managed. There were risk management plans in which included areas such as premises, medicines handling and administration, infection control and safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered following best practice guidance. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles. Staff were supervised and supported as needed and any further training needs had been identified and planned for.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. They told us that access to appointments with GPs and nurses was good and that they were happy with the treatments that they received.
• Information about services and how to complain was readily available and easy to understand. Complaints were handled and responded to in line with relevant guidelines.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

However, there were areas of practice where the provider needed to make improvements.

Action the provider must take to improve

• The provider must ensure that staff are suitable to carry out the work they were employed to do. Ensure staff are employed with Disclosure and Barring service (DBS) checks and all relevant background checks are carried out including the locum staff.

Actions the provider should take to improve

• Ensure staff receive training appropriate to their roles, and any training needs are identified, documented and planned, for example, infection control.
• Ensure portable appliance testing (PAT) is carried out by a qualified person for the role who has completed appropriate training. They should complete a risk assessment and ensure documentation is kept for audit purposes.
• Ensure staff personnel files are kept up to date.
• Ensure infection control audits and a Legionella risk assessment are carried out.
• Ensure policies are reviewed regularly and are accessible to all staff.
• Chaperone training should be undertaken by all staff providing this service to patients.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice